Skye
by Stormy Daye
Summary: A girl finds out she's not who she thought she was and sets out to find her real family. Book One in the Jamieson family series. *COMLPLETE*
1. Prologue

Prologue  
  
I used to hate it when people complained about their lives. Maybe it was because theirs always seemed so much better than mine. I couldn't understand how they could complain about having parents that loved them enough to punish them to protect them. My father ignored me when he wasn't yelling at me for spilling something that he had spilt or hitting me for undercooking his supper. It came to the point where I wanted to be invisible so he wouldn't be able to hurt me anymore. My father would come home drunk some nights and I would be able to smell him before he even entered the small trailer we lived in. I could hear him tripping over rocks on his way up the walkway. There was no way I could get out of the trailer, he was coming in the only door, I learned to expect the inevitable, all I was to my father was a punching bag to take his frustrations out on. I envied the people whose biggest problem was that they got a C on an English mid term. That might sound strange but I had bigger things to worry about than school, like where I was going to get food for our breakfast the next morning when there was no money because Pop had taken his paycheck straight to the closest bar. Then I had to worry about how I was going to get out of the beating I would receive for the lack of food even though it was his fault. Pop blamed all our problems on me. That would never change, and I knew that, but I refused to accept it. I can't help wondering how life would have been different if I had just learned to forgive and forget. But I didn't and this is the way it turned out. 


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One: Life  
  
The strong stench of beer and vodka woke me up in the middle of the night on a Saturday in mid July. The trailer was stiflingly hot. My back was dripping with sweat and my black hair was matted to my face. I rubbed my eyes and sat up only to bump my head on the top bunk. I grunted. Would I never learn? I heard Pop's voice outside the trailer, his words were slurred together and he was muttering something, intelligible. He had just come back from Ronny's Bar I knew. I looked across the narrow walkway to the other bunk bed where my two brothers slept. They hadn't woken up. My sister slept soundly above me. They were all sound sleepers, unlike me, I had learned over the years that is better to wake up before the beatings started then be woken up by the beatings. Now even a strong smell could jerk me awake, just like it had tonight. The door to the old trailer squeaked loudly as Pop opened it and stumbled inside, he flicked the light on before tripping over one of my brother, Tyler's old trucks and crashing to the floor. I flinched, everyone would be awake now, and my father would not be happy. "Skye?" Erin squeaked from the top bunk. "I'm here," I said quietly, hoping Pop wouldn't hear that we were awake. "What the HELL is this damn truck doing here?" Pop yelled, quickly sobered up from his fall. He picked himself up and stomped over to our beds. My brothers were pretending to be asleep but I knew they were very much awake, how could they not be after all the noise Pop had made coming in? "Tyler!" Pop yelled, "Your truck tripped me up," I saw Tyler trembling under his blanket that he had pulled over his head despite the heat. He was only six years old. Pop was always screaming at him for leaving his toys lying around. I tried to clean up after him but I wasn't perfect, I sometimes missed things. Pop smacked Tyler in the head to wake him up, "Get up!" he bellowed. Tyler sat up and jumped down from the bed, his little hands were shaking as he moved into the kitchen. Pop pushed him to the floor, "Keep your damn toys outta my way!" he yelled. Tyler burst into tears. I saw my fifteen- year-old brother Anthony peek out form under the covers. I looked at him and then decided I wouldn't watch Pop beat a defenseless six-year-old. Anthony and I both got out of bed quietly. The only way to even put a dent in Pop was to catch him by surprise. We catapulted ourselves at him together and he fell face first into the table. Quickly I got up and stood in front of Tyler, not wanting to be too near Pop when he regained his composure and realized what had happened. But Anthony wasn't so fast. Pop grabbed his ankle and he fell to the floor. The trailer was much too small for this and we were knocking things off shelves every time we moved. "You little brats," Pop growled. He punched Anthony is the cheek and I screamed. "Don't either of you ever do anything like that again" he yelled, "Or you will get the beating of a lifetime," I snorted and regretted it immediately after. "What's with the attitude, Princess?" Pop asked. "Sorry" I muttered. I knelt down and hugged Tyler tightly in my arms. I wouldn't let him get hurt. Anthony was in the space between our bunk beds holding his cheek that I was sure would have a bruise tomorrow. I could hear Erin crying softly. Pop got up, his large frame filled up the small space of the trailer. His blond hair was wild and unruly and badly in need of a cut. His broad shoulders blocked the light from the lone bulb as he towered over Tyler and I. Tyler was trembling in my arms. Just when I thought Pop was going to smack me across the room he stormed out of the trailer, leaving us to clean up his mess, yet again. Anthony and I tucked Tyler and Erin into bed and gave them a drink of water. They looked so sweet lying together in my bed, no one could ever believe that their life was as difficult as it was. Erin's curly light brown hair spilled over the pillow and her innocent brown eyes gazed up at my as she asked, "Is Daddy ok?" "Yes," I told her, "Now go to sleep," Anthony and I cleaned up the trailer as best we could. Some of our mother's knick-knacks had been knocked to the floor and were beyond repair. I tried to pick up the pieces of a blue dolphin that I remembered was her favourite. "Don't bother, Skye, she doesn't want it, she's not coming back for that stupid dolphin or for us," Anthony said bitterly. "I wanted to keep it forever, in case she ever came back," I told him sadly. Our mother had left a couple weeks after Tyler had been born. She couldn't deal with what life had given her. I had been ten years old when she left in the night without saying good-bye. It had been six years but I still held onto the hope that she might walk through that old squeaky door and take us away from Monkton Ontario. I slept in Erin's bed that night since her and Tyler were in mine. I cried myself to sleep, but not until the sun started to peek over the horizon. I cried for me and my brothers and sister. I cried for the little blue dolphin that had been my only hope that Mama might come home. It had been the symbol of hope in my life, the only thing that made me feel like I could survive. If it could survive the long and unhappy life in the old trailer, then so could I. Now all hope was gone.  
  
Before Mama left, my life had been as normal as ones life could be. Pop was happy with his job in the car factory. I had my brother Anthony for all but one year of my life to play with. We were very close, inseparable even. Mama's friends said we looked like twins even though we didn't really look alike. He had dark brown hair and blue eyes. I also had blue eyes but mine were more the colour of the sky then the greenish blue that Anthony had. My hair was jet black and wavy. Mama told me she named me Skye because of the colour of my eyes. I had always loved that story. "Your father and I had been slaving over baby name books for weeks and we had even decided on a beautiful name for you," she told me before bed one night. "What was it?" I asked, even though I already knew. "Tamara," she said. I always wrinkled my nose at the sound of that name; I thought Skye was so much prettier. "I had my first contraction at six o'clock in the morning on a beautiful January day. The sky was still dark, but I knew it would be a wonderful day, for my daughter was coming out to see me, You were born as you know on January 23rd, the sun was high in the blue sky. When the nurse put you on my stomach and I saw your blue eyes, I knew I couldn't name you Tamara, it had to be Skye," I smiled, happy that I hadn't been called Tamara. "Thank you Mama," I would say before falling asleep. "Your welcome, my love," she would whisper. Erin was born when I was seven years old. Oh, how happy I was to have a little sister! Anthony sulked for the next three days because he had hoped beyond hope that it would be a boy. But soon he couldn't stay away from her; she was too cute. She had curly brown hair and sparkling brown eyes, she looked a little like Mama. She was always happy and smiling. We lived in the trailer then too, and by the time Erin turned two, it had become much too small for us. But Pop lost his job for coming to work drunk and we were stuck with it. Mama and Pop had many fights about his drinking. But that always ended in them sneaking quietly into the tiny room that contained a double bed where they slept, I heard what they did in there, I knew Anthony did too, but we didn't talk about it. That was how Tyler was conceived. While Mama was pregnant she became more and more depressed. She stopped telling me stories before bed and she stayed in the trailer all day sleeping. Finally Tyler was born. She was alone at the hospital through the delivery because Pop couldn't be reached at wherever he was, which turned out to be some bar in the next town. When she brought her new son home, she didn't seem happy like she had when she brought Erin home. She looked more depressed than ever. I didn't understand how she could be sad with a son as sweet as Tyler. He had wavy hair the colour of straw. His eyes were gray like Pop's. Sometimes I would watch him play and he would suddenly stare off at nothing in particular, he reminded me of Mama in that way. I woke up the morning that Tyler turned one month old, as I stood up a piece of paper fluttered to the floor. I picked it up and read it.  
  
Dear Skye: I am sorry I had to leave you like this; you know that life has not been treating me well lately. Don't leave your father, he will need you now that I am gone. Just know that I am OK and please don't look for me, you won't find me. Be a good girl and take care of Tyler, Erin, Anthony and most of all, your father. Love always, Mama  
  
I read that note over and over until it finally sunk in; Mama had run away, she had run away leaving me with the burden of the family she had created. The note sounded so heartless, like she had been waiting for the time that I would be old enough to take care of her responsibilities. I hated her at that moment. I hated my beloved, selfish mother. I had believed she loved us more than anything. But apparently I had been wrong; she loved her freedom most. I ripped up that note and flushed it down the toilet. Now I wish I had kept it. It was the only link I had to her now. Over the years, Pop's drinking got worse. Erin cried for Mama and he would lash out at her out of frustration. He took out his own failures on his children. I became the mother to Erin and Tyler, who never really got to know their real mother. Anthony and I cooked meals and kept the trailer as neat as possible. Pop did as little as possible to help us out. He expected us to do everything for him. We took care of the kids, cleaned, cooked and went to school. I knew it was hard for Anthony to clean when he would much rather be out playing football or baseball with his friends. I told him to go, I could handle the kids, but he refused. I had to quit my violin lessons; we didn't have the money or the time for them. Violin was my one passion, the only way for me to escape from the daily grind. By the time I was sixteen, I had become used to the abuse and the lack of money and food. Pop was rarely ever home. He was always drinking when he wasn't at work earning money to spend on alcohol. As far as he was concerned he had no family, we were just four children who lived with him, four people who did everything they could for him when he did nothing for us. The only thing that kept me alive after awhile was the fear of what would happen to Tyler and Erin if they were left to fend for themselves. Anthony felt the same way. Nothing could make us ask for help, we would not be separated, all we had were eachother and we were not going to give that up. 


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two: Escape  
  
The morning after the truck incident, I got up to toast the last four pieces of bread for breakfast. I wondered what we would eat for breakfast the next day. The cupboards were bare but for a can of brown beans and one box of expired Kraft Dinner that we would be forced to eat for supper if Pop didn't come home and gobble it up before we got the chance. Erin and Tyler stumbled to the table with sleep in their eyes. They seemed so much older than six and nine that morning, after the scene the night before. "Isn't there any jam?" Erin asked, wrinkling her small nose at the lone piece of bread with butter on her plastic plate. "No," I said. They ate quietly. I could tell it was going to be another hot and humid day. I didn't know how long we would survive in this rusty old trailer with no air conditioning or even fans. "Morning," Anthony said as he took Erin's seat when she was finished. She trudged to the bathroom to splash water on her face. Our shower was no longer working, so she would have to go to the public showers for the trailer park to have a shower. "Wait for me Erin," I told her. I stuffed the piece of crust bread I had taken, for I knew no one else would eat it and went to grab my clothes for the day. A purple tank top and cut-off jean shorts. I had badgered Pop in June until he gave up a small amount of his drinking money for me to buy clothes for the others and myself. I had only gotten three tank tops that had cost two dollars each at the thrift shop. Erin got the same, and we would share. I was small for my age at only five feet two and 110 pounds. Erin was taller than me and she was seven years younger than me. I was very insecure about my size and my siblings knew that. They were all bigger than me and I knew Tyler would soon grow above me too. The public showers were rarely cleaned and the slime on the floors reflected this. The showers had curtains that had holes in them and the showerheads were rusty. But it was the best we had. I entered a stall beside Erin and turned on the water. I had to let it run for a while before the brown water ran out and I could have a little warm water. I stood under the spray of water for a long time, savoring the only time I had to myself. Erin left her stall before I had even finished washing my hair. I was in the public washroom all alone. Or at least I thought I was. Suddenly the curtain was yanked open and there stood Frankie Bellows. I screamed and reached for my towel. He laughed showing off his black teeth. "Get out of here, you pervert!!" I shrieked. He grinned and stepped into the stall closing the curtain behind him. "I just want to see you for a minute," he said. "GO AWAY!!!" I yelled. He reached out to grab my towel but I slapped him as hard as I could. His face changed from amusement to anger, "You bitch," he said, "Erin told me you were waiting for me, I guess you are just a tease," he left me in the shower confused and angry. Why would Erin tell him that? I finished my shower quickly and hurried back to the trailer. It was only 10:00am but already the trailer was an oven. When I got in Erin wasn't there. "Where's Erin?" I demanded of Anthony. "She went to Jessica Moore's trailer," he told me. Him and Tyler were playing go fish on the kitchen table. They were both sweating. I was fuming. I stormed out the door and went around the corner to the Moore's trailer. They had the most expensive trailer in the park, which still wasn't saying much. They were still dirt poor. I banged on the door and Mrs. Moore opened the door. "Skye, what's wrong?" she asked. "I'm looking for Erin, is she here?" I asked. "Yes," she called to Erin and then Erin came outside. "Why did you tell Frankie Bellows I was waiting for him?" I demanded angrily. She stared at me innocently, "You told me you thought the showers should be cleaned and you were going to talk to the Bellows," she said. The Bellows' were the managers of the trailer park. I stared at her, I couldn't tell if she was telling the truth or not, but I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, I didn't think she would tell Frankie I wanted him to come in my shower stall with me, she wasn't that cruel. "Why what happened?" she asked innocently. "Nothing, never mind," I mumbled and left her alone. I could already feel my fair skin burning as I walked back to our trailer. I had always been prone to sunburns. I went into the trailer reluctantly. It was even hotter in there than it was outside. But at least I wouldn't get a burn. I couldn't help wondering as I watched my brothers play cards when Pop would be home. I assumed he had gone back to the bar last night, or maybe to a hotel room with some whore he found on the street. He stayed away for weeks at a time sometimes, while Anthony and I were left to care for Tyler and Erin. I knew I had to get a job but I just didn't have time. School was one of my biggest priorities away from home. I was determined to get a music scholarship for the violin and get out of this town. I vowed never to end up like Mama, in a small trailer with too many kids and thinking my only option was to abandon them. I played the violin at school in the orchestra. I wanted to take private lessons but we didn't have enough money for food each week, let alone music lessons. For the day I lay on my bed and thought about our situation. I needed a plan in case Pop didn't come back for a while. We didn't have enough food by far. Tyler fell asleep after his lunch of cold brown beans and Anthony and I were left to sit at the kitchen table and worry. "What are we going to do for food tomorrow?" I asked him. He glanced at Pop's room and said, "He might have hidden some money in there, we have to look," "But.but what if he came home while we were in there, I don't even want to know what would happen," I said worriedly. I didn't know if we should take that risk. "We have no choice Skye," he said. "I'm home!" Erin burst into the trailer with a new yellow T-shirt on, looking happy. "Where'd you get that shirt?" I asked. "Jessica gave it to me," she said. I stared at her suspiciously, I didn't think Jessica's mother would let her give away perfectly good clothes when they struggled almost as much as we did to buy them. We told her our plan to search Pop's room. I gave in after I looked in the fridge and cupboards again. I noticed Tyler was starting to look a little thinner. He wasn't a picky eater, which was good. But he needed milk and vegetables to get the right nutrients. Erin would sit on the front steps while me and Anthony would search. We crept carefully into his room even though there was no need to be quiet. The room smelled of vodka and it was dirtier than any other part of the trailer. Clothes were strewn all over the floor and the old worn out carpet had holes and stains on it. I covered my mouth and nose, not wanting to breathe in the fumes that seemed to be floating off the dirty dishes and clothes in the room. "Gross," I muttered. "Look in the dresser and closet," Anthony said. I went to the old dresser and yanked open the top drawer. It was empty but for two magazines that would not be appropriate for a child to see. But he left them practically out in the open for Tyler to find. The rest of the drawers were full of old shirts and shorts stuffed inside. I dug through them looking for a wallet, a jar, anything that could contain money. In the bottom drawer there was a hollow sound coming from the back. I knocked on it and the piece of wood fell away. I reached in and felt a box; I pulled it out, hope filling my heart. It was a large, brown, wooden box with intricate carvings on the lid and sides. There was a small brass lock in the front that required a key. "Anthony," I called. "Did you find something?" he asked coming over. I showed him the box. I turned it upside down and carved into the bottom were the words,  
  
To my love, Hannah  
  
May you always be happy, with or without me,  
  
Zack  
  
"This is Mama's box," I said. "Pop's name is not Zack," Anthony said, stating the obvious. I wondered why Mama would leave without this box. Suddenly Erin burst into the room, "Pop's home," Quickly Anthony shut the drawers. I put the box behind my back, I was not going to put it back when I wasn't sure when I could get it again. I had a feeling Pop didn't know about it, so he wouldn't miss it. We had just slipped out of his room when Pop came into the house looking happier. He smiled at me. I narrowed my eyes at him. What was going on? He never smiled at any of us. "Pop, where did you go?" Erin asked. "I have a surprise for you," Pop said. Somehow I knew this was not going to be good. Tyler had crept out of bed and he was standing behind me clutching my shirt. "What is it?" Erin asked excitedly. "Lola, c'mon in," Pop said, holding open the door. A woman with dull blond hair that looked like it had been dyed a few times too many sauntered in. She had blue eye shadow caked on her eyelids and her lipstick was bright pink. She had long pink fingernails that couldn't have looked gaudier. She was wearing a very short and very tight blue skirt and a low cut pink tank top. She looked like a prostitute! My mouth dropped open as I stared at her. Erin's smile faded from happiness to disgust when she laid eyes on Lola. "We got married!" Pop announced. The silence was deafening. No one spoke; everyone was in shock. Anger bubbled up inside of me, he had stormed out last night only to go and marry some slut he had obviously found on the street. The trailer was already too small, we didn't need this woman and all her makeup in here too! "You married a whore!" I yelled. I was furious. "Skye Emerson!" Pop scolded. "Don't you scold me, father. You haven't been a father to me in the last fifteen years, you drove Mama away and then you totally ignore your children!" I screamed at him. Lola was slowly inching towards the door, "Don't you go anywhere, bitch," I growled at her. She stopped dead in her tracks. Anthony touched my arm, "Skye." "No, I need to say this," I told him, "Do you even know Tyler's favourite food?" I demanded. He was silent, but I could see the anger boiling under his eyes. "It's spaghetti, and when was the last time we had that?" I continued, "You have ruined our lives, Fred Emerson, I refuse to call you Pop anymore, because this is the last straw, you are no longer my father, you aren't fit to be anyone's father, go have fun with your new slut wife," At that I pushed past him and out into the evening. It was cooling down outside. I felt tears stream down my face but I wiped them away quickly, and convinced myself they were tears of anger and frustration, not tears of love and sadness. I went straight to the old willow tree that stood right outside the boundaries of the trailer park. I always went here when I wanted to be alone. I sat down and that's when I realized I still had Mama's box. I examined the bottom. Who was this Zack person? I fingered the small lock and wondered if it would be easy to break open. I didn't hesitate, I smashed it against the trunk of the tree and it broke off easily. I put the box in my lap and opened it up. As the old hinges squeaked, I couldn't help thinking they were trying to warn me, trying to tell me not to open the box, just let sleeping dogs lie, they were saying. But I couldn't, I had to know what my mother felt she had to hide from us but hadn't cared enough to take when she left. Inside was an old picture of a man and a woman about twenty years old. The woman I realized was Mama! She looked just like I did right now. Her hair was a different colour but her facial features matched mine exactly. She even had that half smile I so often used. The man was not Pop. This man's eyes were a startling blue colour and his hair was black.just like mine. On the back of the picture it said that these people were Hannah Peters and Zack Jamieson. Zack! This was the person who had given her the beautiful box. He was very handsome. I put the picture on the ground beside me and reached into the box again. I pulled out a folded up letter. I unfolded it quickly, the front of the envelope said my name. I was getting more and more curious my the second. I took the letter out of its envelope and began to read:  
  
Dearest Skye, By now I am far, far away from you. And even though you might think me heartless and cruel I just couldn't let you live a lie. I felt it was my duty to tell you the truth of your birth. I am your mother and I love you very much. But there is a secret that had clouded my days with you. In this box that you have found there is a picture of your father and me. That's right, Zack Jamieson is your father. I became pregnant with you before I married Fred. Zack left before I could tell him and I couldn't reach him. Fred, who was Zack's best friend thought it would be the right thing to do to marry me and give us a good home. Later on, as you know Anthony, Erin and Tyler were born; they are all Fred's children. I had planned on contacting Zack as soon as I could to tell him he had a daughter but he couldn't be reached. I soon gave up trying to find him and let you live a happy life with the brother you loved so dearly. You must be devastated to find out that Anthony is not your full brother but that is only a title, you will be what you want to be. I know you must be extremely confused right now but I have left your real birth certificate in the box. Everything you need to prove your birth. You see, I wanted your birth certificate to say who your real father was. So I had two made, one with Fred's name and one with Zack's name. I have also enclosed the address of your real father in case you ever have the urge to see him, as I know you will. Just know that I love you, Anthony, Erin and Tyler more than anything in the world and I am sorry about what I had to do. Love always, your mother, Hannah Peters  
  
Mama had signed her maiden name on the letter. I was in shock. My father was Zack Jamieson? The whole thing sounded like a mass conspiracy to confuse a nation. But Mama and Pop had gone through life not even dropping a hint to the truth. Pop knew I wasn't his child but he chose to ignore it. Maybe that was why he decided I should cook and clean for him. He kept me around after Mama left to be his slave. And now, I was living with two people who I had no blood relation to. Lola was going to move in and I would be stuck with her. I emptied out the box and found a dolphin pendant on a silver chain. I assumed it had been my father's. I put it on right away. I wanted to feel close to him even though I had never known him. I was very confused about what Mama hoped to accomplish by leaving me this box. I hadn't even found it for a long time, for six years. I got up from the ground and trudged back to the trailer. I had to tell Anthony the truth. I knew he would be sad, but I felt like I no longer belonged here. I wanted to find my real father. Somehow I just couldn't bring myself to totally believe the crazy story Mama had told me through the letter. Anthony was outside sitting on the step when I got there. He had his head resting in his hands. "Anthony, what are you doing?" I asked sitting down beside him. "Lola and Pop are in the bedroom," he said. He didn't have to explain what they were doing. I knew. "Can you believe Pop married her?" he asked. "No," I replied. "But maybe she will force Pop to quit drinking and buy food," he suggested, not sounding very convincing. Somehow I couldn't bring myself to tell him about the letter and our birth. I wanted a secret, something to call my own. Maybe that was selfish, but I just didn't want to break up our family. I felt like if he knew I wasn't his full sister he wouldn't want to believe it. He would ignore the facts and pretend like it wasn't true. I knew he wouldn't want me to leave, he would say that I belonged her even if Pop wasn't my father. But I knew that wasn't true, Pop wouldn't want me here if he knew I knew the truth, I was sure of that. I decided then and there, watching how Anthony looked at me that I would leave the following night. I couldn't bring myself to leave that night, I needed to say goodbye to everything even if they didn't know I was saying goodbye. So we went to sleep that night, I hid the box in the crack between the wall and the bed and hid the necklace under my shirt. The next morning Lola came stumbling out of her room, makeup from the night before still on, but smudged. Pop came out after her. "Lola is going to get some groceries," he announced. Tyler's face lit up, that was all it took to get him to fall in love with this new woman, food. "Can you get spaghetti?" he asked eagerly. "Sure I can sweetie pie," she said. I glared at her. She had only just come into our lives the night before. Hidden behind all her makeup, she had followed Pop into our lives, and already she had won Tyler's affections. She left after an hour of applying new makeup. To my disbelief Tyler and Erin went with her. Pop sat at the kitchen table watching me as I did the dishes. I felt uncomfortable under his gaze. "I thought you weren't coming back, Princess," he said. "I have nowhere to go, I can't just up and go to Toronto," I said hinting that I knew about Zack Jamieson. He narrowed his eyes, but ignored my comment. I didn't want him to know I would be gone the next day so I had to act normal, not out of the ordinary. My anger had faded somewhat considering I had just found out this man wasn't my father; I wasn't obligated to care what happened to him. I watched my half brothers and sister all day, knowing that this would be the last time I would see them in who knows how long. I felt tears come to my eyes a number of times but I had to choke them back. Finally day turned to night and Pop and Lola went out to Ronny's Bar for a quick drink. I struggled to stay awake in bed until everyone else was sleeping. Finally I heard even breathing coming from all three bunks. I got up quietly and grabbed the small duffel bag I had packed earlier. It contained a few changes of clothes, which was all I had anyway, underwear, the box from Mama and a box of crackers. I didn't have anything of value I wished to take along with me other than the dolphin necklace. I scribbled a quick note saying goodbye to Anthony, Erin and Tyler and told them I would be back to see them before some day. It saddened me to think that I might never come back to this old trailer. It might have been the site of countless beatings and misgivings but it was still my home. I grabbed my old coat and was about to go out the door when I realized I wasn't going to have enough money to get to Toronto. I had twenty-five dollars but I was sure I would need at least fifty. I was getting discouraged when I had an idea. I snuck out the door and headed over to the Bellows' trailer. I remembered the day when Frankie Bellows had come into my shower stall and I shivered. This was not something I was looking forward to doing, but I had no choice. I could hear a TV inside the trailer. I knocked on the door quickly. Frankie opened the door and grinned at me. The strong smell of old food and beer floated out to greet me and I had to choke back a gag. "Well, well, well, look what we have here," Frankie said. "I need some money, "I said, He laughed, "Well you are going to have to give me something I can pay for," he said looking me up and down, his eyes resting on my breasts for a few extra seconds. "Okay," I said, "but would you mind paying me now, I'll do extra for you later," "What? Why?" he stared at me. "It's that time of the month and I really need money now," I lied. I had no intention of doing anything with him. I was going to take his money and get out of town before I would have to give him what he paid for. It made me sick just asking for money from him but I needed to get out of Monkton tonight. "Well," he hesitated. "Please?" I said biting my lower lip. "Oh.Okay," he went back into the trailer and brought out a wad of bills. I counted them quickly. One hundred dollars! He must have had this saved up for a hooker or a strip club when he went to London. He disgusted me. "You better be worth it, I'll come by your trailer in one week," he said smiling. I turned around and started to leave, "Sucker," I said under my breath. Suddenly there was a hand on my shoulder, "I heard that," Frankie growled. He dragged me back to his trailer. I thrashed around but he was too strong for me. When he got me into his room I was starting to panic. This was a disaster! I had to get away! I ran to the window and pounded on it and screamed. Frankie grabbed me by the hair and threw me onto his unmade bed. Before I could even react he was on top of me. He grabbed one of my wrists and yanked it to the headboard. He used a belt to tie my wrists together and tie them to the bed. I was crying now. This couldn't be happening! "This is what you get for trying to trick me," he said. He tied a smelly towel around my mouth and slapped me hard. I gasped. Frankie laughed heartlessly as he stood up to look down at me. "This is what I've always dreamed of," he said. I choked back my tears. I didn't want to cry in front of him. Then he did what I thought would never happen. He left the room. I was so surprised that I lay still for a minute. I heard Frankie laughing at some show on TV. I struggled to get my wrists free from the belt, and it loosened a little. Hope surged through my veins. It was going to be OK, I was going to get out of here. I kept working at the belt and finally in came free. I sat up in triumph and pulled the towel from my mouth I spotted the wad of one hundred dollars on the floor and almost laughed. I was still going to take his money. I went to the window and opened it as quietly as I could. Frankie was still laughing at some TV show. Soon it was open enough and I climbed out and took off running. Then I remembered my bag was still inside the trailer. The box from Mama and Zack Jamieson's address were in there! I needed that bag! I went back to the trailer and peeked through the window. The room was empty. Frankie was still watching TV. I screamed a bloodcurdling scream and ran to the front door of the trailer just in time to see Frankie bolt from his seat and go to the room. I ran as fast as I could into the trailer and grabbed my bag off the floor. I heard Frankie yell in anger as I jumped down the three steps to the trailer. I ran into the night clutching my money and my bag as tightly as I could. 


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three: The End of the Road  
  
I walked to the small bus station where I bought a one-way ticket to Toronto. I was constantly looking around me afraid that Frankie Bellows would show up. But he didn't and I boarded my bus. I sat beside an old man wearing a cowboy's hat. "Aren't you a little young to be traveling by urself?" he asked when I said down. "I'm sixteen years old Sir, I can travel alone," I told him. He was silent after that and he fell asleep. I couldn't sleep because I was so anxious and it didn't help that the old man was snoring louder than a bulldozer right in my ear. I watched the scenery fly by as I thought about what my real father would be like. I imagined him to be loving and caring if my mother had loved him so much. I finally dozed off near the end of the trip and woke up to the sound of the conductor shouting, "Everyone off, this is the end of the road," I rubbed my eyes and grabbed my small bag. The old man was already gone by the time I stepped onto the platform of the train station. When the train pulled away I felt strangely alone. The train station was deserted; it was 2:00 in the morning after all. I knew no one would know I was gone yet. Except of course Frankie Bellows. I shivered at the thought of what had almost happened in his trailer. But at least I got the money, I thought on the bright side. I sat down on a bench and pulled out Mama's box. I bought a map at the variety store in the station and looked up the street where the Jamieson's lived. It was late and I didn't know if I could face any new people tonight so I asked the lady at the tourist booth where a cheap motel was. The motel I found was called, Minnie's Motel. I bought the cheapest room available and collapsed to the bed asleep as soon as I walked in, not even noticing the smell or the room or the rat that scrambled over my foot.  
  
The next morning I did notice the bad shape the room was in. The carpet was very worn out and it had unidentifiable stains all over it. The bedspread had holes in it and the curtains didn't block out any of the sunlight. I cringed in the cold shower that had hardly any pressure. I couldn't believe I had paid anything for this dump. It was 9:00am when I left the motel. I referred to my map for the direction of Greyburg Avenue and headed that way. It looked like it would be a twenty-minute walk, but it was a nice August day so I didn't mind. I was planning to go straight to my father's house but I spotted a McDonalds along the way and couldn't resist. I should use my hard earned money for something worthwhile right? I bought two egg and bacon Mcmuffins, a hash brown and some orange juice. I enjoyed my food very much since I hadn't eaten a good meal in a few weeks. It was then that I began to worry about my brother's and sister. I knew there was a bare minimum in the trailer of bread and milk. I wished I could take them some food from McDonalds. I pushed my feelings of guilt away and started back on my journey. As I got closer to Greyburg Ave, the houses got nicer and nicer and bigger and bigger. I gazed at the mansions as I passed by, wondering if that was where my father lived. Even the smallest house on this street could fit at least ten of my trailers inside. After making a few wrong turns I finally found 56 Greyburg Avenue. I was a large red brick house with a wrap around porch and a wrap around balcony of the third level. The house looked to have about five levels. I was utter awe as I stared up at the mansion these people called a home. I was suddenly very aware of my tattered T-shirt and cutoff jean shorts. I could see that behind the house there was a large forest, which I didn't think, there was very much of in this city. This house must have cost a fortune! There was a large white gate in front of the house and an intercom was off to the side. I didn't see any other way to get to the front door so I walked up to it. There was a number pad and a red button. I pressed the red button. "Jamieson residence, who is calling?" I proper sounding man asked over the intercom. I felt like I was calling on the phone. "Um, I'm Skye Andersen," I said into the microphone. "I'm sorry, you are not on the list," he said. "But um, I need to speak to the Jamieson's," I said. "I'm sorry, you'll have to call and make sure they can see you, they are very busy people you know," he said a matter of factly. "Okay, but-" "I'm sorry, you'll have to leave now," he cut me off. "But-" "Please miss," he said. "But, Zachary Jamieson is my father!" I blurted out. There was silence on the other end for awhile and I was starting to wonder if he had heard me when a woman's voice came over the intercom. "I'm Maxine Jamieson, please come in," she said. The gates opened slowly and I walked up the white brick driveway admiring the beautiful flowers. I front door was opened before I even walked up the porch steps by a tall, very skinny man with a suit on. He had a long thin face with dull gray eyes and a gray mustache. He was totally bald. "Miss," he moved aside to let me enter. A woman was standing in the foyer. She was wearing a stylish blue sweater and skirt. She had shapely legs and bright blue eyes. Her hair was brown with strands of gray running through it. She didn't have a wrinkle on her face. She was of medium build, about my height, a little heavier looking than me. She looked me up and down and confusion sparkled in her eyes. "You look like him," she said in a low voice, "Is this some sort of joke?" she demanded. "No, my mother is Hannah Peters, she told me Zack Jamieson was my father," I explained. "Hannah Peters," her eyes lit up, "my goodness," I shifted back and forth on my feet. "This is unbelievable," she breathed, "You are Zack's daughter," I stayed quiet, unsure of what to say. "Please, please come to the patio with me," she said, "Arthur, bring us some lemonade on the back patio please," "Very well Madame," the bald man named Arthur scurried away. Maxine Jamieson led me through her house to the patio facing out to the woods behind the house. I couldn't stop staring at the paintings and works of art placed around the house. The house was so beautiful and elegant. We sat on lounge chairs outside in the shade and we were silent until Arthur brought us our lemonade. I took this time to look around the backyard. There were beautiful flowers and bushes planted everywhere, there were even a few sculptures. I could see a gazebo a few yards away with roses climbing its poles. Finally Maxine spoke, "Of course you realize that this is very hard to believe," she said. "It is for me also," I told her taking a sip of my lemonade. I hesitated for a moment and then just decided to blurt it out, "Where is my father..Zack?" Maxine looked out into the woods sadly, "He died three years ago in a car accident," Tears sprung to my eyes. I had never known my real father and now I never would. I didn't know if it would be worse to lose a person you knew very well or a person you were hoping to meet. "Oh," I muttered, wiping my eyes. "But, enough of that," she shook her head as if shaking away the bad memories of her sons death, "Tell me everything," We sat out on the patio for the whole morning and part of the afternoon talking about my mother and how my life had been in Monkton. I told her of the box I found, Mama's letter and of Lola. She listened intently and for some reason I felt like she really cared even though I was a stranger that had just showed up one day on her doorstep. She told me that she knew Mama when she still lived in Toronto. She didn't tell me much about my real father, just that he went out of the country to serve in the Navy when my mother and Pop moved away together. She didn't know I was her son's child. "But Skye, I have to have you take a blood test, I have to know for sure you are Zack's daughter," she told me. I understood completely, I would be weary of a girl just showing up and claiming to be family too. "I want this test to be done quickly. I'm going to call my personal physician and tell him we are on our way," she told me. I was surprised at how quickly she decided we were going to take the test. I did find it a little odd that the first thing she though of when her long lost granddaughter came to the door was a DNA test. But I didn't argue. What other choice did I have other than to take the test? I certainly couldn't go back to Monkton; my mother had totally disappeared from my life. Her parents were both long dead. I had nowhere to go. So Maxine and I got into her BMW convertible and drove to the doctor's office. I was amazed at the car. We had a truck back in Monkton, but the thing was ancient and we rarely went in it. After taking the test, Maxine insisted it be analyzed right away, I had a feeling she paid the doctor extra so he would do just that. She even made us wait in the waiting room for three hours until it came make. I got the feeling she didn't want me anywhere near her house if I was related. She had seemed so nice before, now she just seemed cold and uncaring. Finally the doctor called us to his office and told us the results. "She is in fact your granddaughter," he said. I let out a sigh of relief, I didn't know what I would have done if I had not been. "Thank you," was all Maxine said and we left the building. She was silent on the ride back to her house. I shifted in my seat, unsure of what to say.  
  
It was almost 9:00pm by the time we arrived at the house. We sat in the car in the driveway for a few minutes before going back in. "Well now I know that you are my son's child, I suppose I have no choice but to keep you here at La Vie," I must have had a confused look on my face because she smirked and said, "It means Life, that's what we call our house," I nodded, "I really don't want to cause any trouble, I'll just leave if you would rather that," I said a little sadly. I really wanted to have grandparents. But Maxine wasn't being very warm towards me. She seemed angry that I was here and it just made me feel all the more uncomfortable.  
  
"Well you should know that you have a sixteen year old uncle who does live here," she told me, "he is away on a camping trip and won't be home until next week," I was a little surprised that I had an uncle that was the same age as me but I was anxious to meet him also, someone my age would make it easier to get settled here. "Your grandfather should be inside, let's go and introduce you," she got out of the car stiffly and I followed her into the house and to a small parlor. Sitting in a red velvet chair my the fire was a very distinguished looking man with dark brown hair , he looked considerably younger than Maxine. He turned to face us and his eyes widened at the sight of me. "Maxine..hello," he said. His voice was deep and very masculine. He had very dark eyes, almost black. He was very handsome. "This is Zack's daughter," Maxine said bluntly. She really did like to get straight to the point didn't she? The man stared at me, and finally he stood up. "Hello, I'm Gregory," I shook his hand and sat down on the matching red velvet settee. "I'm Skye," I said since Maxine was refusing to introduce us. I looked at her and she was staring intently back and forth between Gregory and I. Maxine told Gregory the story of how I came to be here and by the time she was finished it was 1:30pm. I was exhausted; it had been a long day. "Beatrice!" Maxine called, "BEATRICE!" she yelled again when no one answered. A mousy looking maid scurried into the room. She looked frightened. "Beatrice, please show Skye to a room, the blue one will do," Maxine ordered. "Yes Ma'am," Beatrice said in a quiet voice. I stood up and so did Gregory, "it was nice meeting you, I'm sure you will like it here," I said good night to them both and followed Beatrice. She led me up the stairs and through many corridors. She was quiet the whole way up. When we stopped outside the door she finally spoke. "Enjoy your sleep," she said and hurried away. "Thank you," I called but she didn't turn around. I went into the room but it felt more like I was stepping into the sky. The walls were painted blue and there were white fluffy clouds everywhere. The carpet was ivory and very soft like a cloud. The large queen size bed had a white canopy draped over it; you could pull the curtains down so the bed was enclosed within the curtains. I felt already like the room belonged to me, it matched my name perfectly. I ran to the huge walk in closet and gaped at all the empty space that I would not even be able to fill if I had brought all my clothes, as well as Anthony's Erin's, Tyler's, Pop's and Lola's! There was a large bathroom connected to the room with a Jacuzzi and shower. I was in heaven. I had always dreamed of my own room, but this was too much! I snuggled into my new bed happily. But as I fell asleep I couldn't help wondering what secrets were being kept from me. I didn't fully trust Maxine; she seemed to change moods as often as you would change the toilet paper roll. I pushed the cynical thoughts out of my brain and fell asleep on the feathery pillows, I felt like a princess in paradise. But I had no idea how short a time that would last. 


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four: My Uncle  
  
The next morning I woke up to the sun shining in my face. I got up a little groggily, confused about my whereabouts. But then I remembered everything that happened the days before. I know knew who my father was. But I would never get to meet him. Somehow I felt like an orphan, my mother had abandoned me, and my father was dead. I got dressed quickly and went downstairs. I found the kitchen after a few minutes of searching. The maid, Beatrice was in there. "Good morning Beatrice," I said a little tentatively. I felt strange talking to her like I knew her. "This must be Skye, little Zachary's child!" I very fat woman exclaimed. She had a very round face and dark brown eyes. I couldn't even count her chins there were so many. She was wearing an apron over a plain gray dress. Her hair was short and brown. "Hello," I said. "I'm Dena!" she exclaimed. I couldn't help noticing how enthusiastic she was. When she spoke she swung her arms around and the expressions on her face were constantly changing to different extremes. "Maxine and Gregory are in the dining room, show her where that is Bee," Dean said and gestured wildly towards a door. Beatrice led me silently to the door. I went through and there were my newfound grandparents sitting waiting for breakfast. "Oh Skye," Maxine said standing up, "Come and have breakfast with us," I sat down across from her and to the right of Gregory. "I hope you slept well," Gregory said. "Oh yes, the room was beautiful," I said smiling. Beatrice and Arthur brought out our breakfast of Belgian waffles with whipped cream and blueberries. I ate them eagerly; I had never tasted something so good in my whole life. I savored every bite. "Gregory and I have decided you will start school as normal in the fall and everyone will know you are our granddaughter," Maxine told me. I was a little surprised that she wanted everyone to know that her son had a daughter that he hadn't even known about. "But," she continued, "no one will know we didn't know about you, long lost relatives are so cliché," Now I understood. "I had my personal shopper go out and get you some decent clothes, I can't have my granddaughter running around in rags, you know," she laughed. I looked down at my T-shirt and gray shorts. These were the best shorts I had; they weren't rags to me. "You'll go to the same school as your uncle, our son," Gregory told me, "He'll help you out," I was nervous about meeting my uncle. It seemed so surreal that I could have an uncle the same age as me. "We are going to a wedding shower today so you'll be here by yourself," Maxine said. My heart started to pound. I had only been here one day and already they were leaving me alone here? I wouldn't know what to do with myself. "You can go swimming in the pool if you'd like," Gregory suggested. I shook my head, "I don't even have a bathing suit," I said even though I really would have liked to go swimming. Back in Monkton I never got to do anything even remotely like swimming. "Oh nonsense, Marianne, my personal shopper, is picking you up three," Maxine said waving her hand in the air. I felt very uncomfortable when I watched Maxine and Gregory drive off down the road. Maxine told me Marianne would be back soon with my bathing suits and other clothes. I found it very strange that Maxine had someone do her shopping for her but I also envied the person who was a professional shopper. Despite my poor life style I had always liked to shop and see all the new trends even if I could never own any of the beautiful garments. It was kind of disappointing that I didn't get to go shopping to buy clothes. It felt like Maxine was taking over everything. How did this Marianne person even know my size or what I would like? I sat in the living room waiting for my bathing suit. I was truly looking forward to swimming by myself. I had always enjoyed the time I had to spend by myself since it was so rare at the trailer. Now as I sat by myself with nothing to do I missed my siblings terribly. They had surely noticed I was gone by now. I could picture Anthony reading my note over and over again not believing it was true. Not believing I had just left. Just like Mama, he would think, just like Mama. No Anthony, I thought, I'm not like Mama, I'll come back for you. Finally Marianne came in the door three bags in hand. She looked over at me and said, "You must be Skye," she said. She wasn't very tall and her hair was bleach blond and cut in a stylish hairdo. Her nose and mouth were small and her teeth were sparkling white. It took Marianne, Arthur, Beatrice and myself three trips each to get everything up to my room. The flow of bags and boxes never stopped. After a while I thought we were pulling clothes out of a bottomless pit. I thought it would never end! Marianne had bought me T-shirts, shorts, jeans, dress pants, sweaters, blouses, shoes, socks underwear, bathing suits and bathrobe and even slippers. I thanked her and she left. I pulled out a red tankini with blue Hawaiian flowers all over it. I put it on and it fit me perfectly. The other two bathing suits were a black one piece and a very skimpy pink bikini that I knew I would never wear. It puzzled me how Marianne could have known my size when she hadn't even seen me before today. I went outside to the pool. The water was very warm. There were two diving boards, one higher than the other and a slide that twirled around the ladder. I dove into the deep end, happy to be alone for a while. I was floating on my back with my eyes closed when I heard a splash at the other end of the pool. I jerked up right and watched the dark figure swim closer and closer to me under water. I was frozen in place. The person surfaced right in front of me and stood up. His eyes were closed and I didn't even know if he knew I was here. He had dark brown hair and I saw when he opened his eyes, bluish green eyes. When he saw me standing right in front of him he gasped and jumped back. "Who the hell are you," he demanded. "Skye," I responded. "This is private property, you can't just come in here and go swimming in our pool," he yelled angrily. "I live here," I said calmly. "Are you crazy?" he asked, "Did you escape from the psychiatric hospital, because I heard that someone had escaped-" I cut him off, "NO, I'm your brother Zack's daughter," I told him. He stared at me, "What are you talking about, Zack has been gone for years," he said confused. I narrowed my eyes. Why would he say that my father had been gone for years? Maxine told me he had only died three years ago, that wasn't that long. I shook my head, "I'm his long lost daughter," I explained. He laughed, "You really are crazy," he grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the pool and into the house. "Hey, let go of me!" I cried. "Arthur, call the police," he ordered. "Sir! Sir!" Arthur called, "That is Skye, she is living here!" The boy stopped dead in his tracks, and turned around slowly, still grasping my arm tightly. "What?" he asked. "She is Master Zachary's daughter," Arthur said. I let out a sigh, grateful that Arthur was here to explain who I was, because this impulsive guy wouldn't listen to me. I let go of my arm and stared at me. I was dripping all over the floor and suddenly I felt very aware of what I was wearing as he looked me up and down. I stared right back at him as I hugged myself tightly. He reminded me of someone, his intense gaze and those turquoise eyes.. "My parents didn't tell me about this." he said. "I just arrived yesterday," I told him. He was silent for a minute and then he smiled, "Well. I'm sorry about all that, you have to understand though, there was a stranger swimming in my pool, it was kind of weird," "Yes, I understand," I said softly. "I'm Trevor," he said sticking out his hand. I shook it. "Skye," I introduced my self even though he already knew who I was. "Skye.Skye.where have I heard that name before?" he wrinkled up his nose and frowned. I realized he looked a lot like his father, Gregory. But there was something else about him that struck me as familiar; I just couldn't put my finger on it. "Oh well," he said, "I just got back from my camping trip," "I thought you wouldn't be back for another week, I said. We went back out side and sat on lounge chairs by the pool to talk. I told him about coming here and getting a paternity test done. "No, Mom doesn't waste any time," he laughed when I told him how I was here for all of two hours but we had to go straight out to get the test done. I didn't know if I was supposed to tell him everything or not so I kept quiet about how my life was before I came here. "This is so weird," he said. I nodded. We sat outside talking all afternoon. He was smart and funny and very outgoing. I liked him right away. But I still couldn't shake the feeling that he reminded me of someone. Finally Gregory and Maxine got home, they came out to the back and stopped dead when they saw Trevor and I talking and laughing. "Trevor, dear, when did you get home?" Maxine asked. "This morning, and we had a little mishap, a stranger was swimming in our pool," he said pointing to me. Trevor told his parents about the little incident earlier and how he had thought I was an escapee from the mental institution. We all laughed about it, all but Maxine. She stayed stone faced. I went to bed that night thinking about Trevor and how wonderful this was. I loved living in La Vie. The only thing that made my happiness fade was thinking about Anthony. I missed him so much. I wanted to see him, talk to him. Before I fell asleep I heard two people outside my door talking. I heard my name so I got up and listened through the door. "Her mother was here a long time ago Dena," Arthur said. "But I still think she is here for the same reason her mother was," Dena said. Were they talking about my mother? "It doesn't matter now, Hannah Peters is somewhere where she can't take any more Jamieson children," Arthur said. They walked on down the hall so I couldn't hear what else they said. I was more confused than ever now. In my mother's letter she said that my father didn't know about me, but Arthur and Dena were talking about her like she kidnapped me. No, that couldn't be what they meant. My mother was perfect, she loved Zack Jamieson and me; she would never do something like that to him. I crawled back into bed and didn't fall asleep until the sun was starting to come up over the horizon. I got up the next morning still tired from lack of sleep. I hadn't been able to figure out Arthur and Dena's conversation. I racked my brain thinking about what they could have meant by now my mother couldn't take any more Jamieson children. I felt like everyone was lying to me. There was one week left until school started and during that time I talked to Trevor about school and my old life. He said he would introduce me to people at school. I was grateful to have someone who could help me adjust to this new life. I contemplated whether or not to write to Anthony. I thought he should know where I was, but I was afraid that he would try to come here and get me. This was where I belonged and I didn't want to leave. Finally the day came to start school. It was a private school called, Oak Glenn and we would have to wear uniforms. I was disappointed that I wouldn't get to wear all my new clothes. I hadn't even worn half of them since Marianne brought them all home. It was a co-ed school so Trevor would be there with me. The chauffer, Edwards drove us to school. He was a short, stout man who rarely spoke. He did his job and didn't talk to anyone unless they specifically asked him a question. I got my schedule in the office on the first day and headed straight for my first class, which was English. The day was pretty ordinary, besides the fact that all the people here were filthy rich. My name was changed to Jamieson so of course everyone wanted to know how I was related to Trevor. He was popular at school, the captain of the basketball team and minister of external affairs on school council. I thought he made a good made a good MEA because he was easy to approach, no one felt uncomfortable around him. He was nice to everyone. I made friends quickly because of him I realized right away that there were some girls that only became friendly with me because I lived with Trevor. But I did make a few real friends. I hadn't forgotten the conversation I had overheard between Dena and Arthur. I wanted to ask them what they had meant by everything but I didn't want them to know I was eavesdropping. I had to quit my violin lessons because Oak Glenn only had wind instruments and vocal. I was disappointed at first but I forgot about it after awhile. Life was going well. I had finally stopped feeling guilty about leaving my siblings and finding my father's family. Trevor and I were growing closer by the day but I knew I could never become romantically involved with him; he was my uncle after all. I was very happy at La Vie. I didn't interact much with Maxine and Gregory. They weren't home often, Gregory was a lawyer and Maxine was just a social butterfly. Or at least I thought every time she went out she going to some party. How wrong I was. 


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five: More Secrets  
  
It was November and Trevor and I were sitting in the living room working on a project we were doing together for science. I reached for the glue stick and my hand brushed Trevor's arm. A shiver ran up my spine, I was afraid of the feelings that I was starting to develop for him. He was my uncle and I knew we couldn't be any more than friends. "Are you OK?" he asked when I stood up and moved away from him. "Yes, fine," I said. "You seem a little.distant," he said, sounding concerned. He came over and sat beside me. He took my hand, "You can tell me you know," he said. I was silent. He looked into my eyes and then he started leaning closer. I closed my eyes and we kissed gently. Then we suddenly realized what we were doing. I jerked away from him and jumped up. He looked flustered, "I-I'm sorry," he stuttered. I just grabbed my things and ran from the room. I ran straight to my room and started to cry. I sobbed and sobbed. I half expected Trevor to come up and see how I was, but he didn't. There was a knock at the door, I wiped my eyes and said, "Come in," Dena walked into my room looking at me with concern. "I saw you run up here, what is it dear?" she asked sitting down beside me.  
  
Dena and I had become closer over the few months I had been here and I wanted to tell her what happened, but I was ashamed, I didn't want her to think I was disgusting. "Skye honey, I won't judge you," she said. I couldn't hold it in anymore, I spilled out everything that had happened between Trevor and me. She listened carefully and didn't interrupt once. Finally I was finished, I sighed in relief. "It's OK Skye, there are some things that you don't know and I really think you have a right to know," Dena said. I stared at her. "But I don't have the right to tell you," she stood up. "Dena!" I cried, "You can't do that to me!" I jumped up and grabbed her arm to bring her back to my bed. I had to know what it was she thought I should know. She hesitated, "Well I guess I can tell you, but Trevor doesn't even know this, so you can't tell him even if you think you should," she said sitting down again. "OK," I sat down beside her. "Well, did you know that this is your grandmother's second marriage?" she asked. "No," I said surprised. Did that mean Gregory wasn't my real grandfather? "Well she was married to a man named Michael Jamieson before, he is your real grandfather, he died a long time ago," she said. I didn't know what this had to do with Trevor and I but I urged her to continue. "Well Trevor isn't Maxine's son, he is Gregory's from his previous marriage," she stopped. My heart leaped into my throat. This was great! Trevor and I weren't related! I jumped off the bed and cried, "This is amazing!" "Shhh," Dena shushed me. I gave her a great big hug, "Thank you for telling me, Dean, thank you!" "You can't tell Trevor, so it doesn't do you much good," she said before leaving. My happiness faded. She was right. What good was it to know that we weren't related if he didn't know? He would think I was his niece. I lay in bed trying to think of some way to tell Trevor the truth. But it was impossible. Obviously, Maxine and Gregory wanted him to think Maxine was his mother if they kept it a secret all these years. I couldn't just go and tell him. I was back where I started and it frustrated me. I lay awake for the next hour trying to think of some way to be with Trevor. I couldn't get to sleep so I went downstairs to get a glass of water. The kitchen was dark and shadowy. I got my water quickly and hurried back down the hall. I was about to go back up the stairs when I heard someone crying softly. It sounded like they were trying to keep it a secret. I saw a light under Gregory's office door so I crept over there. I put my ear up to the door and I realized it was Gregory crying softly. I was surprised. I had never seen him show very much emotion even towards his own wife. I was going to walk away and leave him alone but something pulled me back to the door. I heard him say a name between sobs. I listened very carefully until he said it again. "Anthony..." he sobbed. I gasped and stumbled back from the door. Why was he saying Anthony's name? What was going on? I couldn't forget about this, I had to know if this was the same Anthony. I knocked softly on the door and called out, "Gregory? Can I come in?" I opened the door before he said anything; he was facing away from me. "I'm a little busy right now Skye," he said his voice shaking a little. "I'm sorry, but I heard you say by brother's name," I said. He turned around and looked at me suspiciously. His eyes were red and bloodshot, but he had wiped away any remaining tears. "Pardon me?" he said. "I heard you say Anthony," I repeated. "It was a different person than your brother," he said shaking his head; I saw he was holding a picture in his hand. Normally I would agree and just leave, but I had a funny feeling that it was the same person. "Maybe not, can I see your picture?" I asked moving towards him. He hesitated but then changed his mind and handed me the picture. I looked at it carefully. It was of two boys who looked somewhat alike. They had dark hair and the same colour blue eyes. The picture was faded but as I looked closer I realized who one of the boys was, it was Anthony. Why did Gregory have a picture of my brother? I stared at the other boy and I gasped. It was Trevor. "Wha-what is going on, why do you have a picture of Anthony and Trevor together?" I demanded. He stared at me like I was crazy, "They are my sons," 


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six: The Full Truth  
  
Gregory explained everything to me that night. It was the wildest story I had ever heard. I couldn't believe my own mother was capable of the things he was accusing her of. "Trevor and Anthony were twins," Gregory began, "I had them in a previous relationship and they came to live here with Maxine and I when we married. "They came to know Maxine as their mother. Hannah, Fred and Zack still lived here then and-" "Wait, Fred?" I asked. Was he talking about Pop? "Yes, Fred and Zack were brothers," he said. My eyes widened, this was getting stranger and stranger by the minute. "Hannah and Zack were engaged, they already had you. But then one day Zack decided to join the army, he left you and Hannah here with the rest of us promising he would be back as soon as possible. He didn't give us much notice, just made the announcement one day and was gone the next. "Fred and Hannah started getting closer and eventually it was obvious that they were now a couple. Maxine was furious with both of them for doing this to her favourite son and told them to leave right away. They packed up their things and the next thing I knew Anthony was gone. They had taken him with them and left. "We didn't know why they did it, neither of them were related to him, he would just be an extra burden. I was devastated. I loved my twins very much and it was so painful to wake up and find one of them gone." "Oh my goodness," I breathed, "but if you knew they took him why didn't you go look for him?" "Well, Maxine didn't want this scandal to get out and Hannah did come back one year later, she told us that Anthony had drowned, he was gone. I felt like I had lost my son all over again. "I can't believe this," I said in shock, Trevor and Anthony were twins. Now I understood why Trevor had looked so familiar, he had the same eyes as Anthony. "Well my mother lied Gregory, Anthony is alive, I have been living with him in Monkton for the last sixteen years," I said. He looked at me, "You mean my son didn't drown?" He asked tears streaming down his face. "No!" I cried. I ran over and gave him a hug. He cried and cried for the next few minutes, "We have to get him back!" he said determined. My heart leaped, my brother was going to come back to La Vie and live here! I had missed him so much over the months. I told Gregory the address of our trailer in Monkton and he sent Edwards in the limo with a police officer to get Anthony. Gregory told me that Pop would go to jail for kidnapping Anthony. I wondered what they would do with Mama if they found her, but I didn't ask. I was too excited about seeing Anthony again. Gregory woke up Trevor and Maxine and we all sat in the living room waiting. Maxine sat silently. She was furious. Trevor looked stunned, he had just found out he had a twin and that his mother wasn't really his mother. I remembered how I felt when I found out that Pop wasn't my real father. Like my whole life had been a lie. I sat beside him and whispered in his ear, "I know how you feel right now, I'll be here for you if you need to talk," I looked at me with a dazed look on his face and smiled. We hugged and he whispered back to me, "We aren't related," We both laughed and ignored the way Maxine glared at us. Trevor went to Maxine and hugged her, "Mother, it doesn't matter, you will always be my mother even if it isn't by blood," he told her. She smirked slightly, "You say that now," Trevor's smile faded and he came back and sat beside me. Gregory had explained everything to Trevor, about Anthony and how Maxine wasn't his mother but a woman named Elizabeth was. Trevor had just sat there and listened. It was daylight again before Anthony arrived in the limo. We watched him trudge up the walkway. Arthur opened the door for him and told him where we were. When he stopped in the doorway to the living room I realized how tired he looked. I hoped my leaving hadn't done this to him. But it didn't matter now; we were back together. When he saw me he ran over quickly. "Skye, I've missed you, that note you left, I didn't know where you were." he babbled as he hugged me very tightly. I caught a glimpse of Trevor over Anthony's shoulder and he had a jealous look on his face. That look gave me a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. When we pulled apart Gregory spoke, "Anthony, my son," he breathed and hugged my brother like a little boy might hug Mickey Mouse at Disney Land. I could see all this was still very unreal to him. He had believed his son was dead all these years after all. Anthony looked at me awkwardly. Maxine stood up and shook Anthony's hand, "Nice to meet you," she said and walked out of the room. We all stared after her. "Maxine!" Gregory called but she didn't turn around. "Well Anthony, I'd like you to meet your twin brother, Trevor," As I looked back and forth between them, I realized how very much they did resemble each other. I was surprised that I hadn't been suspicious earlier. Their hair was the same straight dark brown and their eyes were that beautiful turquoise colour. They had the same nose and the same shaped lips. They weren't identical twins, you could definitely tell them apart. "A twin?" Anthony asked. "Hey," Trevor said. "I can't believe this," Anthony cried. "I know it's hard to swallow, but I will tell you everything tomorrow," Gregory said. He glanced out side at the rising sun and said, "Make that later today, we have to get some sleep," Beatrice showed Anthony to a room close to mine at his request. I saw Trevor's eyes narrow when Anthony asked for this. I ignored it. Anthony came into my room and gazed around in amazement instead of going to sleep. He sat on my bed. "This is so unbelievable," he said lying back. "That's how I felt when I first came here," I said. "Speaking of which, how did you come to live here?" he asked. I explained everything to him, but I left out the part about Frankie Bellows. I didn't see that point of making him angry. I asked him about Lola, Pop, Erin and Tyler. "Well after you left Erin started getting into smoking and drugs," he told me, "I suspected she had even been with a few guys some nights, she denied this of course, but I still suspected," I gasped, "She's only nine!" Anthony nodded sadly. "Tyler became withdrawn and quiet and he never wanted to do anything but sit around the trailer. Pop and Lola were rarely home," he told me. Poor Tyler, I thought, I had done that to him, I made him sad. "I feel awful," I moaned. "Don't worry Skye, we did fine other than the confusion over your disappearance," Anthony reassured me, "Pop didn't even to seem to notice you were gone, though I did catch him staring at your bed for a moment one day," I looked up surprised. I didn't think Pop had ever cared at me. He had known all along I wasn't his daughter, but his brother's. I realized then that Anthony didn't know about my father. "Pop is really my uncle you know," I said. "WHAT?" Anthony cried. "Zack Jamieson was Pop's brother and Zack is my father," I explained. I realized that, that meant that Erin and Tyler were not only my half brother and sister but my cousins. All this was so confusing. Anthony went back to his bedroom an hour later and I fell asleep right away. I woke up to someone shaking me roughly. I opened my eyes, feeling somewhat irritated. Trevor was standing above me. "What time is it?" I asked. "One o'clock PM," he answered. I hadn't gotten to sleep until 9:00am so I wasn't very happy about him waking me up. I rolled over and closed my eyes, indicating to him that I was going back to sleep. "Skye, c'mon, I can't sleep, I want to hang out with you, my ex niece," he said. I faced him and smiled. "Oh yeah, we aren't related," I said, pretending like I had forgotten. He leaned down and kissed me on the lips gently. I was so happy right at this moment. I could be with Trevor without feeling guilty. Then I remembered Anthony and how this would be his first day in La Vie. I couldn't just leave him by himself. I remembered how uncomfortable I had been when I first arrived and Gregory and Maxine had left me alone to fend for myself. "Hey, I've got an idea," I said sitting up, "Let's take Anthony around Toronto," His smile faded and he stood up and went to my dresser and started fiddling with my hairbrush. "Trevor?" I asked surprised he wouldn't want to make up for all the time he had missed with his twin brother. "I want to be alone with you Skye," he said turning around. "But Anthony is confused right now, I don't want to leave him alone," I insisted. "Skye, I saw the way he looked at you last night when he got here, and asked for a room near yours," Trevor said, "and I know he was in here this morning," I glared at him for a second. I thought I was falling in love with Trevor, but the way he was acting like a jealous boyfriend was making my angry. "Trevor, he's my brother," I told him as I stood up and went to the closet for some clothes. "No, he's not your real brother," Trevor countered. "That doesn't matter, he'll always be like a brother to me, and nothing more," I assured him. I gave him a hug and a kiss and went to get dressed. I gave in to Trevor in the end and hung out with him for most of the day. We went to the mall and walked around holding hands. I really felt like we were going out and it felt great. I thought everything was going great. My life was finally taking a turn for the better. But I didn't know how wrong I was.  
  
So life went on at La Vie. It really wasn't all that different from before except I was becoming very close with Trevor and Anthony separately. I tried to urge both of them to spend time with eachother but they neither of them made the effort to do that. The whole story about Trevor and Anthony came out at school. It was pretty hard to avoid that when they looked so much alike. For the first month everyone at school would oohh and aaww over them everyday but eventually it wound back down to the normal routine. Anthony informed me that Erin and Tyler had been sent into foster care because Pop had been put in jail and Lola had been so drunk she couldn't talk when they showed up. There was a trial to send Pop to prison. Gregory and Maxine both testified but neither Anthony nor Trevor did. They were too young at the time to have known the difference. The trial was all over the news and when he was sentenced we knew about it. He was sentenced to fifteen years without parole for pre meditated kidnapping. I didn't feel anything when I saw them put him in handcuffs into the police cruiser. I don't think Anthony felt anything either. I felt safer now that I knew he couldn't find me for fifteen years. My seventeenth birthday was fast approaching and I did want to have a small party but I felt uncomfortable asking Maxine. She wouldn't even let me call her Grandmother let alone do anything special for me. Finally two weeks before the big day I worked up the courage and approached her in the living room. I sat down on the couch and got right to the point. "Maxine, I was wondering if I could have a small party for my birthday," I said. She looked up from her book and smiled," When's your birthday?" "January 23rd," I reminded her. I had told her when my birthday was before but I guess she just didn't care enough to remember. "A small party?" she asked. "Yes," "I don't think so," she said. "But-" "It has to be a big bash, you are a Jamieson, are you not?" she said. That was the first time she even acknowledged that I was related to her. I thanked her profusely and she said she would get right to calling caterers and decorators. I was surprised that she wanted to so much for my birthday when I had only asked for something small. She struck me as the kind of person who did the bare minimum and nothing more. So the planning for my seventeenth birthday started. It was going to be semi formal with a wintry theme. Maxine got really involved into planning everything. She even thought of some good ideas. I invited the whole grade eleven class. Our school was small so it wasn't that many, especially considering we would have no problem fitting one thousand people in La Vie. Everyone was talking about my party the Friday before it was to be held. "It's going to be the party of the year!" Jessica Cartwright raved at lunch. "Oh, it's not going to be that good," Gina Pruitt assured her. Gina had always been jealous of me. I knew she had a massive crush on Anthony and I had even tried to get them together. But Anthony refused. He thought she was annoying and stuck up. I can't say I disagreed. "Anthony is going to be there right?" Gina asked after insulting me. I was used to her attitude though. "Of course," I answered. "You are so lucky to have Trevor and Anthony living in the same house as you!" Jessica squealed. I rolled my eyes. This is what it was like every day for me. Everyone was always telling me how lucky I was. Sure I wasn't related to either of them but to hear someone say I was lucky to have Anthony around just because he was so hot was like me saying to someone, 'Ohmigosh, you are so lucky to have your Dad living with you because he's soooo hot!' I had bought a light blue dress last week that had a frilly hem that started at my ankle on one side and slanted upward to my knee on the other side. Dena was going to do my hair because it turned out she had gone to beauty school and trained to be a beautician. The next day while she was curling my hair I asked her why she was a cook and not a hairdresser. "I fell in love," she said smiling softly. "Where is he now?" I asked curiously. She looked off into space for a moment and then snapped back to reality. "He left me," she stated simply. She didn't show any emotion about it so I didn't pursue it. I thought about how wonderful my party was going to be tonight. Trevor and I had been dating for about a month now and we were very close. I was truly in love with him. We spent as much time together as humanly possible. All my other spare time was spent with Anthony. He seemed to change over the few months he had been at La Vie. He used to be sweet and caring, but the wealth we that had become a part of us was consuming him. He already had a sports car. Gregory had no limits when it came to buying things for Anthony. It seemed to me he was trying to buy his love and it was certainly working. I was so disappointed in Anthony when I heard him talking to his real father as if he owed him something. "C'mon Greg," Anthony begged. He still didn't call his father, Dad. "Anthony I'm sorry but I can't get you a car," Gregory said weakly. "All these year you thought I was dead, you should want to make up for lost time and spend all the money you would have spent," he insisted. Anthony was becoming selfish and greedy and it was scaring me. Now I saw how much money could change people. If it could make someone as sweet and Anthony this way than what could it do to others? Gregory had finally given in and Anthony had a brand new black Mercedes convertible. As he drove away form the house the first day with his new car, I saw a smug look on his face like he knew he had control of his father. It made me sad to see how weak Gregory was and how Anthony could be so spiteful. I shook my head gently and Dena scolded me for moving too much. I wasn't going to think about Anthony anymore. This was my night. But I had no idea how much it would be Anthony's night too. 


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven: A Not-So Grand Entrance  
  
I could hear people starting to arrive downstairs so I hurried to put on my makeup. My blue eye shadow complemented my sky blue eyes and the back mascara made me look exotic and mysterious. My black hair was curled up into a bun at the back of my head. When I stepped out of my room both Anthony and Trevor were coming towards me from different directions. Anthony wore a dark blue suit and he had his dark brown hair styled with gel. His tie matched his turquoise eyes. He smiled at me mischievously. He took my hand in his and started to lead me to the front stairwell when Trevor took my other hand and whispered in my ear. "Tell him to get lost," I glared at him. Trevor and Anthony had not been getting along well since Anthony arrived. I thought they would both be thrilled to find out they had a twin; I know I certainly would be, but they ignored eachother when they weren't fighting over me. Trevor had been telling me from the day Anthony arrived that he was looking at me in a different way than a brother would look at a sister. I denied it at first, but then it started to become more evident. Every morning Anthony would pick me up at my room as if I wasn't capable of walking down the stairs on my own. I saw how much he had missed me while he was still in Monkton so I let him walk me to breakfast. He sat with me at lunch at school and even bought me little presents every so often. I told him not to but he wouldn't listen. Anthony had changed so much that he wasn't even close to being the same brother I knew in Monkton. I missed my Monkton Anthony, the sweet, caring brother I had known. I knew Trevor and Anthony fought all the time because of me and it made me feel awful. I felt like I was the cause of all the arguing that went on in our house. I told this all to Trevor but he said it wasn't my fault that Anthony had an unnatural lust for me. I told him it wasn't unnatural, we weren't related, but he wouldn't listen. Trevor was very stubborn. That was one thing he had in common with his twin. "Trevor," I scolded under my breath. We all walked down the staircase together. Everyone in the room below turned to stare at me escorted by the two best-looking twin brothers in Toronto. At the bottom of the stairs there was a fork. One path led right and the other led left. I sensed a conflict coming on. I was right. Anthony pulled me to the right and Trevor pulled me to the left. I felt my foot slip on the bottom stair. I gasped in horror as I felt myself go down. I almost hit the ground before Trevor grabbed my arm and I was saved. I fell into him letting go of Anthony's hand. Everyone clapped and I sighed, a crisis averted. Well almost. I looked over at Anthony and he was staring at me like he couldn't dream of life with me. There was a wistful look in his eyes. Then anger burned in his eyes as people started crowding around Trevor and I. "That was so romantic," Jessica squealed. We both laughed at my almost fall. She thought everything was romantic. It was beyond me how almost falling down the stairs could be romantic. She read to many romance novels if you ask me. Gina was already hanging off of Anthony's arm, but he was barely paying attention to her. He was staring at me, not caring who saw. I decided then and there that I was not going to let Anthony's jealousy ruin my party. We danced, and ate and talked to all our school friends together. It was getting to end of the night when Anthony asked me to dance. Trevor was dancing with Jessica so I didn't see the harm in it. "I could have saved you," he whispered, his lips close to my ear as we danced slowly. I didn't say anything. "What do you see in him?" he asked. "Anthony, can we please not talk about this?" I begged, "You have to try to get to know Trevor, he's your brother and my boyfriend and you have to accept that," "You'll be mine one day Princess," he turned and walked away from me, leaving me trembling on the dance floor. The way he had said the name Pop had always used for me gave me shivers. I said goodbye to all my guests awhile later and went up to my room. I was just changing into my pajamas when there was a knock on the door. I quickly finished changing and let them in. It was Trevor. "You looked really great tonight," he said smiling. I was grateful that he wasn't in here to complain about Anthony's behavior.  
  
"Thank you," I said. We kissed gently and he led me over to my bed. I wrapped my arms around his neck and lay back against the pillows. He started to unbutton my pajama top. "I love you Skye," he mumbled between passionate kisses. I answered by taking off my top. "I'll always love you," he said. "You better," I teased. My heart was thumping loudly. I was very nervous about this, but I loved Trevor, I wanted this. We got under the covers and showed eachother how in love we were. Afterwards I lay in his arms and stared up at the ceiling. "Do you still love me?" I asked. "Of course I do," he said. We fell asleep together in my bed in eachother arms. And I foolishly wished that we could stay that way forever. But of course with something good always came something evil. I had many examples of that in my life. And tonight would be no exception.  
  
I woke up to a loud thump that came from the room beside mine. My eyes snapped open. Trevor was gone. He must have gone back to his room while I was still asleep, I thought. I glanced at my clock; it was 5:30am. I got out of bed and put on a robe. I knew the thump had come from Anthony's room. I snuck out into the hall and went to his door. I knocked twice. No answer. "Anthony," I called quietly. I opened the door slowly and gasped at what I saw. The walls of Anthony's room were covered in pictures of me. Big ones and small ones, the entire room was a collage of me. There were even some baby pictures and pictures from Monkton. That is when I realized that Anthony hadn't just developed a crush on me, he had been obsessed with me ever since we lived in the trailer. Even though he thought we were brother and sister! He was in love with me. Suddenly he jumped out from behind the door. "You weren't supposed to see it yet, but oh well, what do you think?" he had a drowsy look in his eyes. But they were alert and wide waiting for my reaction. I only stood there and stared in horror. Anthony jumped up in the air and flailed around like a fish out of water. I stepped back afraid of his strange behavior. "Anthony, why did you do this?" I finally choked out. He stared at me, a hurt look forming on his face, "You mean you don't know?" he asked, "I love you always and forever," he chanted "always and forever," over and over again until I couldn't stand it anymore. I ran from the room tears of confusion burning under my lids. I ran to Gregory's room and pounded on the door. "GREGORY! WAKE UP!" I screamed. Maxine came to the door with an angry look on her face. "What are you doing?" she demanded. I pushed past her to the bed where Gregory was sitting up rubbing his eyes. "What is going on?" he asked groggily. "Anthony is going crazy!" I cried. "What?" he asked. I explained the collage in his room and the chanting he was doing. Gregory jumped out of bed and went to Anthony's room. I sat in the bedroom with Maxine who didn't try to comfort me at all. I was balling my eyes out but she just sat there looking annoyed. I was terrified. What was wrong with Anthony? Finally Gregory came back. "I called the doctor, he gave him drugs to help him sleep," he explained, "in a different room of course," I shook my head in disbelief. "I'm going to send him to live with his real mother's parents in Ottawa, they will look after him for awhile," Gregory said, "I think.. he needs to be away from you," I started to cry again. I was the cause of all the pain and suffering that went on in La Vie. I saw the way Gregory looked. It looked like he was losing his son all over again. He looked tired and ragged. Anthony was having some sort of mental break down because of me. Trevor suddenly came charging into the room looking distraught. "What's going on?" he demanded. Gregory explained the situation to his son and Trevor looked at me with an "I told you so" look on his face. "Don't look at me like that," I said angrily. I didn't need him to make me feel worse than I already did. He came over and hugged me tightly. "I'm sorry," was all he said. But I could tell he didn't really mean it. He was happy his own brother was leaving. He had been so overcome with jealousy. I had been trying ever since Anthony had arrived to convince Trevor that I loved him but he wouldn't let go of the idea that Anthony was in love with me. So, it turned out to be true but I loved Trevor and I had showed him that earlier that very night. I was sick of his jealousy towards someone who he should love. "Don't you care that your brother is leaving?" I demanded pulling away from him. He stared down at me, surprised by my outburst, "Yes," he said. "Oh, that's convincing," I growled. Trevor looked hurt, but I just couldn't bring myself to care. Maybe I should have been nicer to Trevor, I had already lost one of them, I couldn't lose both of them. But I felt terrible about Anthony, it would have been so much better if I hadn't told Gregory about him. He would have been fine in Monkton, away from me, away from the dark secrets that lurked in every corner of La Vie. But it was too late now. Anthony would be gone in the morning and it was all my fault. 


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight: Forgetting Anthony  
  
A car came for Anthony at eight o'clock am the next day. I was in my room watching out the window. I didn't sleep at all the night before. All I could think about was how I had been so blind to how Anthony really felt. I felt so responsible for his breakdown as Maxine called it. Trevor went to bed soon after he learned of Anthony's situation. He didn't seem to care at all that the twin brother he had only just met was leaving again. This situation truly helped me see how selfish Trevor was. I regretted telling I loved him and felt awful about myself for doing what we did last night. I wanted to wipe that memory away for now I disliked Trevor for becoming so nonchalant and cold. He might be loving towards me, but that was not all that mattered, he had to be kind to the people I loved, not jealous. I lay down in bed after watching Anthony's car disappear and cried. I had lost my brother twice in less than a year and I felt like I was the one to blame for everyone else's sorrow and mine. There was a knock at the door. I sat up quickly and wiped my eyes. "Come in," I called. Trevor entered my room looking happy and refreshed. "You ready to go the mall?" he asked as if nothing had happened. I stared at him in shock. "No Trevor, I'm not going," I growled. He narrowed his eyes at me and scowled. "Just because Anthony went insane doesn't mean we have to sit at home and mope around," he said cruelly. I stood up, "I am not moping and I would think you would care a little more about your brother and if not about him than at least respect me enough to realize how much I will miss him." I said angrily. I went into the closet and got dressed quickly. I didn't know what I was going to do, but it certainly wouldn't be with Trevor. "C'mon Skye, he was crazy, forget about him!" Trevor cried. "You are still jealous aren't you?" I glared at him. I had never been angrier about anything in my life. Even when Pop had hit poor Tyler I had not been angrier. "You know what Trevor, I don't think we should date any longer, it's already going to be hard enough living in the same house with someone so heartless and cruel," I pointed to the door and told him to get out. "Fine if you want a crazy person then suit yourself!" he screamed and stormed out of the room. I slammed the door behind him. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. I ran to the bathroom and leaned over the toilet just in time. I threw up all the wonderful food that I had eaten last night at my birthday party. Even though I had gotten dressed I didn't leave my room that day. I sat by the window and wished that I could turn back time and go back to being happy in Monkton. Pop might have been abusive but at least there was always love between us kids. I missed the way Anthony had been and how I used to be able to tell him anything. Coming to La Vie had not made my life better as I thought it would, it had made it ten times worse.  
  
Everyone at school heard about Anthony and they stared at me when I walked down the halls. I kept to myself for the rest of the year. I just didn't want to talk to people and know that they were thinking about the love triangle between me and twin brothers. I rarely spoke to Trevor. He ignored me at school so I did the same everywhere else. Gregory became a shell of his former self. He never left his room and he even quit his job. I was very worried about him. I went to his room one day to talk to him. He was sitting up in bed staring off into space. His dark hair was tangled and dirty. He had bags under his bloodshot eyes. "Gregory," I said sitting beside him on his bed, "look at yourself, you have to do something about this depression you are in, he has been gone for three months, you have to get back to normal," He stared at me accusingly, "Anthony will never be normal, and maybe it's both our faults," Tears prickled my eyes. "Everyone that comes to live here is unhappy and withdrawn," he continued, "I see that now, I see what this house has done to even me," I took his thin hand into mine, "Gregory, it isn't your fault, it isn't this house's fault either, it is fate," I said somewhat bitterly. "I don't think there is such a thing is fate, everything is someone's fault, I just wish I was strong enough to save my own son," at that he lay down and turned away from me. A letter came from Anthony's grandparents the next day. It said he was slowly improving but it would still be awhile. I cried when I saw his message on the bottom of the letter.  
  
Skye, I think you must hate me, but that won't last forever, I will always love you. Tell Trevor that he might have won the battle but he won't in the war. Love always Anthony  
  
I was surprised that his grandparents had let him write that. He didn't know that Trevor had not won the battle and I would not write back to tell him. I feared that would make him even more obsessed with beating his brother and winning the prize that was I. School would be over in a few months and I was grateful for that. People had finally stopped whispering about me in the halls but still no one talked to me. I hated living in Toronto. I could not stand the awful memories and the secrets that I still new haunted La Vie. I actually dreamed about being back in Monkton leading a simple life taking care of Tyler and Erin. I wrote a letter to them explaining everything that had happened and I got one back a month later. Erin wrote how Pop was doing better with his drinking. She thought losing two children had been hard on him and he wanted to be a good father to her and Tyler. Tyler was doing great in school and so was she. She confessed how she was actually jealous of me and she did send Frankie Bellows in to my shower stall on purpose. She told me Frankie had left the trailer park to look for me. That scared me a little until she said that he was killed in a hit and run. Just another person whose life I helped ruin. True, his life was already crap but it was because of me that he was killed. I was relieved that Erin and Tyler were doing Okay and Pop was finally stopping his drinking habit. During the summer I swam a lot. Trevor had many pool parties but I wasn't invited. Trevor had taken the breakdown of his brother much better than I had. I guess that was to be expected. They weren't close at all. I couldn't even remember a time when they had said more than two words to eachother. I was downstairs getting a snack one day in July. Trevor was having one of his parties in the back. I heard people coming. I didn't want to have to deal with their awkwardness at seeing me so I slipped out the door into the dining room. I peeked through the doors to see who it was. It was Trevor and his friend, Derek. "Let's get the drinks and go back out," Trevor said. "Hey, where's Skye," Derek asked quietly. Trevor looked angry for a moment that people were still asking about me. "Probably in her room pining after my brother," he said bitterly. "Don't you even care about her anymore?" Derek asked. I was surprised that he would say that to Trevor. He seemed to genuinely care if I was OK. "She doesn't care about me," Trevor said sounding like a five year old who wouldn't share because his friend wouldn't share. Derek just shook his head and they left the kitchen and went back out to the pool. That conversation made me wonder if Trevor was the only one who disliked me and he was just influencing his friends who wanted to take advantage of his money and pool. As I stood in the kitchen remembering how much fun I used to have with my friends I realized that I had to make an effort to be normal again. I didn't want to fade away in this house like Gregory was. I would be strong. I went upstairs and put on my bathing suit. I marched outside to the pool and everyone turning their heads towards me and became silent. "What?" I asked, "I live here too, can't I swim?" They all stared at me as if I was crazy. Trevor was glaring daggers at me. If looks could kill, I thought smiling. Everyone went slowly back to their conversations as I dove in the pool. There was a volleyball game going on so I asked if I could join. They looked at me strangely and then said yes. Eventually everyone stopped staring at me and went about their business. I was lounging on a chair a little later when a shadow fell over me. I opened my eyes and stared up at the person who was blocking my sun. It was Derek. "So you finally decided to join the land of the living," he said smiling. I could tell he was only joking. "Well, I thought it was about time that I showed Trevor that he's not the only person around here who can have parties and friends," I said. I noticed that Derek was very good looking. He had blond hair that was kind of messy from swimming and the wind. His eyes were hazel with long lashes. He had perfectly shaped lips and his nose was straight. He had a strong, square jaw that made him look more mature. He was tall, probably 6 feet at least and lanky. But I could see he had muscles in his arms. "I agree," he said. He left me staring after him thinking about how cute he was. I shook that thought out of my head. I had had too may bad experiences with guys like Derek. I knew he was rich just like Trevor and he lived in a huge mansion just down the street. Trevor didn't say anything to me about the pool party, he pretended like everything was fine and he hadn't even noticed I was there. That was fine with me. For the first time since Anthony had been taken away I felt happy and normal again. I was almost asleep that night when I heard a commotion outside my door. I got up and peeked out the door. Dena and Arthur were hurrying past my door. "What happened?" I called after them. Dena turned around, a frantic look on her face, "Mr. Jamieson has attempted suicide," 


	10. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine: As We Lay To Rest  
  
  
  
I gasped and hurried out of my room and followed Dena and Arthur. There was an ambulance in the front and about four police cruisers. Maxine and Trevor were out there. Maxine was crying softly and Trevor had a solemn expression plastered on his face. I saw the paramedics carry a stretcher with a body bag zipped up all the way into the ambulance. They drove away silently. There was no need to hurry; there was no saving Gregory. I felt tears come to my eyes and I wiped them away. I went over to where Arthur, Dena and Beatrice were huddled together. I actually felt more comfortable talking to them then I did talking to Maxine or Trevor. "Why did he do this?" I asked. "He has been depressed ever since Anthony left, I asked him if he wanted me to call a doctor a few times but he refused and said he would fire me if I did," Arthur said tears coming to his eyes. "This least week he hardly ate anything and a few times I caught him on the balcony just gazing over the edge," Beatrice said. "He jumped off the balcony?" I asked incredulously. They all nodded. The story of Gregory's suicide was plastered all over the newspapers. The phone rang off the hook for five days straight until the funeral. The day was overcast and windy. The weather represented my mood completely. I felt like I was being pushed and pulled in all different directions. Trevor looked like he just wanted to die himself and Maxine never stopped crying. I felt incredibly guilty for Gregory's death. He was depressed because Anthony left and I was the one who told him that Anthony was even alive. I couldn't help feeling like if I had never come to La Vie then Gregory would still be alive. I sat in the church listening to the eulogy given by one of Gregory's friends. All I wanted to do was leave La Vie and all the troubled secrets behind. We buried Gregory in the family cemetery. His tombstone read, Beloved husband and father, he will never be forgotten. Back at the house we had people over to pay their respects. Maxine stopped crying long enough to greet people and thank them for caring about Gregory. A woman came up to me while I was sitting on the couch staring at the ground. She had gray hair and gray eyes. She was short and plump but she looked very pleasant in her black dress. "Skye?" she asked. I shook my head and looked up," Yes?" "I am Linda Marsden, Anthony and Trevor's grandmother," she said. "Oh, hello," I said surprised. I wondered if Anthony was here and I hadn't noticed him. I thought that was unlikely. "I wanted to tell you that Anthony is doing better and he misses you very much," she said. I looked away thinking about how Anthony must have felt learning about his father's death and thinking that it was partly his fault. Linda told me about the treatment that Anthony had been going through to forget about me. She said he still talked about how things used to be but he didn't tell them how he would defeat Trevor anymore. He was finally realizing that he didn't need to compete with Trevor for my affection. I loved them both very much. "Again I'm so sorry about Gregory," she said standing up. "Thank you," I said and smiled halfheartedly. When everyone was gone from La Vie I went up to my room to have a nap. When I opened the door to my room I found Derek sitting on my bed. I was too drained to ask what he was doing there. I sat down beside him and he put his arm around me. He comforted me and it occurred to me that he should be with his best friend who had just lost his father not me who had only lost a step grandfather. "Why are you here?" I asked. He stood up and walked over to my dresser. "To tell you the truth, I like you.. a lot and I wanted to make sure you are OK," he said not turning around. I smiled. "Thank you Derek," I said. We sat in my room for the next few hours talking about everything. I found him very easy to talk to. He listened to everything I had to say and didn't interrupt or judge me for anything. I told him all about living in Monkton and how I had come to live in La Vie. I told him about Trevor's jealousy of Anthony and how it led to Anthony's break down. "I haven't really had any friends for the last four months," I told him. "I'll be your friend Skye, you can count on me," he said. I smiled. I was really starting to like Derek. Maybe even love him. He was so caring and compassionate. Derek didn't leave my room that night. He stayed beside me. We fell asleep side my side in my bed at 4:00am. I felt safe feeling his presence beside me. Feeling his strong arms around me. I never wanted to move from this spot.  
  
Derek and I became closer and closer as the days wore on. School started again and I was in grade twelve. This would be my last year of high school. I had no idea what I was going to do when it was over. Would I go to college? Derek was going to travel Europe before going to Western University in London. I was going to miss him. We had become so close. Trevor was into drugs and drinking now. He was rarely home. Maxine didn't seem to notice, she was too busy with her charity events. All memories of Gregory had been wiped away form La Vie. There was no reminder of what used to be except for the silent whisperings of his laugh or a memory when I passed by his office that was now empty and locked up. Time passed by swiftly and before I knew it, it was my birthday again. I turned eighteen. No one said happy birthday to me. I was alone now in my own home. Derek came over and we watched a few movies. We talked and laughed. The only time I ever felt normal was when I was with him. He made me feel loved. He kissed me gently and I would feel safe. I knew he would never hurt me. We were best friends and lovers. I had never felt so needed and loved before I met Derek. He stayed over night almost every night. Of course we were careful. But I never felt like I needed to be, I knew that if I ever became pregnant then Derek would take care of me. We needed each other and I knew we would be together forever. But I wasn't ready for a family and neither was he and so we were careful. I was sitting in the living room one day when Maxine came breezing in looking pleased with herself. "Skye dear, I have something to tell you," she said. "What is it?" I asked feeling a little nervous. "I think you really need to go to college," she said. She looked at me with a pleading look in her eyes. She wanted me out of the house. I could see that. So I applied to colleges in London so I could be close to Derek. I was ecstatic the day I got my acceptance letter from Western. Not only would Derek and I live in the same city. We would go to the same school! He was so happy when I told him the news that he took we out for dinner that very night. It was May. School would be over in one month and Derek would be off to Europe for two months. "I'm going to be lost without you," I told him while eating smoked salmon in a romantic restaurant. "We'll write to eachother and when I'm back we will see eachother each and every day in college, on our own," he said taking my hand. We were both very excited about being together. We wanted to start our lives together right away but first we would have to get an education and make sure we could have a long and happy life together. I decided I would study English in college and Derek would study history. We both wanted to be teachers. School finally ended and to my surprise Trevor did not graduate. He would be repeating grade twelve. He was furious when he came home after learning he had failed. "I can't believe this!" he screamed bringing Derek and I out of the living room to watch his tantrum. "My life suck!" he cried, "First I have a crazy twin who wants my girlfriend," he came over to Derek and I. This was the closest I had been with Trevor in months. "Then my father kills himself because of my crazy brother and THEN my best friend takes my girlfriend," he pushed Derek back into the living room angrily. "Trevor, stop," I warned. He hesitated a moment and then he punched Derek in the face. I screamed. Derek staggered backwards in surprise. He was holding his nose as blood dripped from it. Trevor pushed him onto the couch and yelled in his face, "Thanks for all your support," he growled. Then he stormed out of the house leaving Derek with a broken nose. I wanted to run after Trevor and strangle him with my bare hands. He had no right to do that to Derek. I wasn't his girlfriend when Derek and I started dating. I took Derek to the hospital and it turned out his nose wasn't broken. The swelling would go down in a few days and he would look normal again. We were both relieved to hear this news. Everything would go as planned regarding Derek's trip to Europe. He would leave the next day. We spent our last day together in a nice hotel in Lambeth. I felt like we were already a married couple trying to get a little alone time away from the kids. I couldn't wait until that was the reality. As I lay in Derek's arms after making love I thought about what I would do all summer without him. I didn't have any friends, because Derek took up all my time. Not that I was complaining. I thought of Erin and Tyler then and wondered how they were. I wanted to see them but it was out of the question to ask Maxine if they could come visit. She would say no. There was no doubt about that. Anthony had been away for over a year. I missed him terribly and wanted him to come home. I decided that I would write a letter to Linda Marsden asking if this was possible.  
  
The next day Derek left for Europe. I couldn't hold back my tears as I watched his plane take off. He assured me before he left that he would come back to me. I had confided in him that I was afraid that he would meet someone new in Europe. "What if you meet someone else?" I asked breaking away from our long embrace. He looked deep into my eyes. I could tell by his hazel eyes that he loved my more than anything and he would never leave me. "That won't happen," was all he said. And I believed him. I went back to La Vie dreaded the long period of time that I would have to fill by myself. There was a letter waiting for me when I got to my room. I saw it was from Linda and Martin Marsden. I opened it quickly.  
  
Skye, I am happy to inform you that Anthony is doing extremely well and has even asked to come back to Toronto. We thought we should talk to you first under the circumstances that caused him to leave. If you are not opposed to having him return to La Vie then we will put him on the next train home. We will be happy to hear from you as soon as possible. Yours truly Linda Marsden and Martin Marsden  
  
They left a phone number in the letter. I picked up the phone on my bedside table and took a deep breath. I dialed the number and it ran four times before a man answered. I gasped, not knowing what to do. "Hello? Is anybody there?" Anthony said. "Y..yes, hello Anthony, it's Skye," I stuttered. He was silent for a moment and then he spoke, "Skye.. How are you?" "Fine thank you, and you?" I asked feeling a little more relaxed and relieved that Anthony hadn't started raving like he had the last time we spoke. "Much better.I assume you want to speak to my grandmother," he said. "Yes please," He put the phone down and called for Linda. She came onto the phone after a moment. "Skye?" "Hello Linda," I said. "I assume you received my letter," she said. "Yes, and I think it is time Anthony comes home," I told her. We spoke about Anthony's treatment and how he would still have to she a doctor every once in awhile. I was afraid that Anthony would be a big responsibility for an eighteen year old, but Linda assured me that he was independent and planned to go to Sheridan in Toronto to study graphic design. I was relieved that he wasn't going to be like a child that I would have to look after since both his parents were dead. The only family he had here in Toronto was Trevor and I knew that certainly wouldn't be much. Anthony would be here the very next day. I hurried and told all the servants that he was returning. They were all very happy to here that he was coming back. Maxine hardly acknowledged my announcement. Trevor wasn't home at the time and I was dreading telling him the news. I didn't know how he would react. He had been jealous of Anthony before because we had been going out. But now we barely spoke, so would he care if Anthony would be back? I didn't know. I hoped he would help Anthony become used to being here again. I was happy that I would have someone to talk to now that Derek was gone for the summer. I fell asleep that night hoping for the best. 


	11. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten: Summer of Change  
  
The next day I woke up early to make sure everything would be ready for Anthony's return. I was like the lady of La Vie now. Maxine was rarely home and when she was she ignored the help. Dena made Anthony's favourite lunch, grilled cheese and lemonade. Anthony had been exposed to all the best foods but he still liked his simple grilled cheese that we used to eat so often back in Monkton. I heard a car pull into the driveway and I jumped up feeling very anxious. I didn't know how Anthony would react to seeing me. The door was pushed open and Anthony stepped in carrying three suitcases. "Anthony!" I said slowly, not wanting to startle him. He turned to face me. I saw that he had gotten a hair cut since he left. He looked so much like Trevor. "Skye," he said smiling. He dropped his suitcases and ran over to hug me. I laughed as he picked me up and spun me around in his arms. I had missed him so much. We took his suitcases up to a room that had been prepared for him. It wasn't the same room he had before he left. That room would never be used again. No one wanted to remember. "I've missed you Skye," he said. "I've missed you too!" I cried, I was so happy he was home. Maybe now I wouldn't feel so alone in the house, "Tell me about your stay with your grandparents," I said sitting down on a soft chair. "I went to school and I graduated, I'll be going to Sheridan College in the fall, I'll be here with you everyday!" he gushed. My heart fell and my smile faded. He didn't know I was going to Western. He didn't know about Derek. What would he do? Would he be angry? "What is it?" he asked when he saw my expression. I took a deep breath, "Well I've been doing a lot since you left too," I started. Anthony looked down at his hands that he was clasping and unclasping over and over. "I'm going to college in London with Derek Collins, we are thinking about getting married after college," I finished. I stared at Anthony waiting for him to do something. He looked up at me, he had tears in his eyes, "Okay," was all he said. I hurried over to him. I took his hand in mine and looked him in the eye, "I'll visit often," I told him truthfully. "I guess I'll have Trevor to hang out with right?" he said, "No," someone said from the door. We both looked up to find Maxine standing there, "There's been an accident," she said Suddenly the room started to sway and then everything went black.  
  
I woke up in my bed. Everything that had happened came rushed back in a wave. Gregory killing himself, Anthony coming home, Maxine telling us there had been an accident. I sat up quickly. There had been an accident! Who was hurt? What happened? "Skye," I turned to find Anthony sitting by my bed. His beautiful blue eyes were red from crying. "What happened?" I asked not really wanting to know the answer. "Trevor drove his car into the lake, he was with four other people, they were all drunk. All of them are dead," he said. "No," I put my head in my hands and sobbed. I cried for Trevor. I hurt him so badly and I thought I would have lots of time to make it up to him but now I couldn't, I would never see my first real boyfriend again. I jumped out of bed and threw my hairbrush at the mirror. It shattered into a million pieces and I collapsed onto the floor, sobs racking my body. Glass cut into my hands as I pounded my fists on the ground. All I ever did to the people who knew me was hurt them. First my mother, then Trevor, then Gregory and Anthony. I was better off just being by myself where I couldn't hurt anyone. I was suddenly terrified that Derek would be hurt next. I couldn't let that happen. I hurried to the closet and crabbed my backpack and a duffel bag. I started shoving as many clothes in there as possible. "What are you doing?" Anthony asked coming to the door of the closet. "I'm leaving," I said. "Where are you going to go?" he asked. "I don't know, somewhere where I can't hurt the people I love," I said. "It isn't your fault Trevor died," Anthony said softly. It sounded to me like he didn't believe it. I pushed past him and went to the bathroom for my toothbrush. "I have a trust fund, it has a lot of money in it, my real grandfather, Michael Jamieson set it up for his son, my father, Zack's children, I'm his only child, so it's all mine." I was aware that I sounded a little greedy but I didn't care. I knew I had to leave. I couldn't hurt Derek; I had to spare him. "I'm coming with you." Anthony said. I whirled around, "No," I said firmly. "Yes," he said just as firmly. He disappeared for a minute and then was back with the three suitcases that he had. He hadn't even unpacked yet. He hadn't even been home for twenty-four hours but he was already facing a tragedy. His brother was dead. I saw how much he wanted to help me, be with me. Anthony and I were alike. Neither of us wanted to hurt anyone but it always ended up happening anyway. Maybe it would be better to have him with me. We would take his car. It was the middle of the night. I had been asleep all day after finding out about Trevor. We went quietly into the garage and into Anthony's black Mercedes. "Will you be able to access the trust fund?" Anthony asked as the garage door opened painfully slow. "Yes, I'm eighteen, Maxine handed over all the information on my birthday," I said. When she had given it to me, I had felt like she was glad to finally be rid of me and everything about me. Anthony started the car and we drove off into the night. We were headed towards a new life, where we couldn't hurt anyone we loved. I would miss Derek terribly, but I knew that telling myself that I was doing him a favor would help. He could be happy without me. He would be better off without me. We drove through the night. We headed north, not really sure, where we were going. I wanted to live by a lake. A little cottage on the lake. I wanted a simple life. We drove and drove, taking turns so the other person could sleep. We didn't stop at a single hotel. I was too eager to escape from everything that had happened in La Vie. Finally we came into a city and I saw a Royal Bank. We needed to find out how much money we had. I went inside by myself and went to speak to a teller. Her name was Candice. She had long, bleach blond hair and makeup caked on. "I need to speak to someone about a trust fund," I said. "Which trust fund would that be?" she asked, chomping on her gum. I looked down at the information in my hand, "The Jamieson trust fund," I answered. She stared at me a moment and then scurried away. I stared after her, not sure what had just happened. An older man came and gestured for me to step into his office. "What is going on?" I demanded. I didn't have the patience for this right now. I just wanted some money so Anthony and I could start a new life. "Let me see those papers," he said. I gave them to him. He smiled after a minute. I showed him some ID to prove who I was. "Well, you have quite a lot of money," he said. "How much?" I asked. "Ten million," he said. I gasped in surprise. I hadn't expected to have that much. Not by a long shot. "Mr. Jamieson invested well," he explained everything my Grandfather had done. I wished now that I had had a chance to meet him. He sounded like a very smart business man. I did all the paper work that was required and I was now a millionaire. I went out to the car and found Anthony sleeping. I felt all the tension that was in my body flow out as I drove towards the lake. I was going to buy a house by the lake and it wouldn't put a dent in my fortune. We were going to be OK. 


	12. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
Anthony and I found a beautiful house. It had five bedrooms and four bathrooms. It backed onto the lake. It was my dream home. No more loud city traffic when I was trying to sleep at night and no more drunken trailer park guys stumbling over their own feet. Anthony and I started out in separate bedrooms, but that didn't last long. Soon we slept together in the largest room in the house. I felt guilty at first for leaving Derek, but I reminded myself it was for his own good. Anthony and I belonged together; we couldn't hurt anyone. After about a month of trying to clean the house on my own I gave in and hired a maid. Her name was Rachel and she was a pleasant woman who was in her fifties. She didn't ask any questions about how two eighteen year olds could afford a house like this without working. Eventually Anthony got bored sitting around the house all the time. He started a small business in the nearby town of Duncan. It was a store where he sold books, paintings and souvenirs. It wasn't a big business but it gave him something to do and he was happy. I started to play the violin again. I took lessons in town and started to get very good. Music helped me escape from the memories of the people I had hurt. I wondered every so often how Derek was doing, but pushed those thoughts out of my head. Anthony and I had made a life for ourselves where we could be happy and not feel guilty about hurting people. I had finally found my place in the world, and I wanted to stay there forever. I knew that if I really wanted something, all I had to do was go for it. I loved Anthony and he loved me. Life was perfect and that's how it would stay.  
  
THE END 


	13. 

***A/N*** I hope everyone enjoyed my first VCA fanfiction. I worked hard on it and really enjoyed doing it.  
  
Thanks so much to all those people who reviewed. It really helped me be able to finish the story and think of new ideas.  
  
This was the first story in the Jamieson series and I plan to continue with four more books. I can't wait to read everyone else's stories and keep writing, reading, and reviewing everyone!!! 


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